Thank you for taking time to read what I have written in my previous episodes, namely EP1, when I shared about how special my trip to Tucson was. To my surprise, I have already received some feedback from our readers that they would like to visit Tucson someday.
I read through the first episode of my Tucson blog again and very much agree that the Tucson Gem Show would be an enriching experience for many, despite being an unconventional travel destination.
I once read an essay written by a novelist about his bullet trip experience to Naples just to eat pizza there. It is exciting to travel to a destination that becomes the motivation for the trip itself. If you have some time to spare, or you are looking for a new travel destination, I do suggest you take a week off and visit western American. There’s so much beauty in this world that we have yet to discover.
Please note that the Tucson Gem Show will be held at various locations in the city of Tucson (hotels and exhibition halls), and you will need to prove that you are in the jewellery and gemstone business in order to enter some of these major venues.
So for those who are considering visiting Tucson and going on road trips, you may want to consider renting a car from LA and heading east on I-10 (Interstate 10). I had the classic American experience once when I drove to Tucson in 2016 via Palm Springs, Phoenix, and Qualtzsite (a town that once produced quartz).
2016 sounds like aeons ago but it was also the year that David Bowie suddenly passed away right after the New Year’s. I still recall buying a CD of his latest studio album "Blackstar" that had just been released at a drive-in we stopped at, and listening to it as we headed towards the east. I vividly remember the hues of the neon signs of the unknown diners we visited and the strong rubber smell of the bicycles we rented from the house owner and rode along the river.
It was a heartwarming trip nevertheless; I had the opportunity to interact with people from this friendly, laid-back country town and felt the sincerity and warmth from them. At the same time, my heart was somehow caught up with the loneliness of its people and the sense of stagnation with nowhere to go. Perhaps, this was the feeling that I had been guided by the spirit of David Bowie on this journey, and that I had suddenly come into contact with a life that pervaded the vastness of America, a life that should never have intersected with my own.
I remember feeling a sense of relief when I arrived in Tucson at the end of a long drive.
The biggest accomplishment of this business trip to Tucson was the gemstones that the buyers had rushed around to purchase, literally only GEMS.
The excitement of our purchase had been building for a while now, even after we returned home. Eventually, we managed to get the remaining work done and held an in-house unveiling just the other day. It is impossible for us to ignore the strong requests from our staff to see these beautiful stones we bought in Tucson! The event was well-received within the company and we had a great time sharing stories of our buyers' purchases.
This May, we will hold a Designer & Gemologist event for our Singaporean customers at our Club Street Boutique. If you are interested to see the gems that we have encountered and purchased in Tucson, please visit us then..
A special page for this upcoming event will be released soon, so please continue to check our website for more information. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone in-person during this event and showing you the various coloured gemstones I’ve bought. Until then.
- K.K.
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